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The laughing kookaburra is well known both as a symbol of Australia’s birdlife and as the inspirational “merry, merry king of the bush” from the children’s song.

Characteristics

Native to the eucalyptus forests of eastern Australia, the laughing kookaburra is the largest member of the Kingfisher family, with females weighing up to one pound and growing to 18 inches in length. Its beak can reach 4 inches long and is used to snatch a variety of invertebrates and small vertebrates, including the occasional small snake. Since being introduced in western Australia and New Zealand, the kookaburra has angered farmers by preying on their fowl.

The laughing kookaburra has dark brown wing plumage and a white head and underside. Dark brown eye stripes run across its face and its upper bill is black. Its reddish-colored tail is patterned with black bars.

Laughter-Like Call

It gets its moniker from its manic laughter-like call. And its early dawn and dusk cackling chorus earned it the nickname “bushman’s clock.”

Population and Reproduction

Laughing kookaburras are monogamous, territorial birds that nest in tree holes. Females lay one to five eggs, which are tended by a collective unit composed of parents and elder siblings. Fledgling kookaburras generally remain with their parents to help care for the subsequent clutch.

Laughing kookaburras are not currently considered threatened although loss of habitat is a primary threat to the birds. They have adapted well to human development and often inhabit suburban areas, which provide both food and shelter.

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The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species native to East Asia. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus Aix. Aix is an Ancient Greekword which was used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and galericulata is the Latinfor a wig, derived from galerum, a cap or bonnet.

Various mutations of the mandarin duck are found in captivity. The most common is the white mandarin duck. Although the origin of this mutation is unknown, the constant pairing of related birds and selective breeding is presumed to have led to recessive gene combinations leading to genetic conditions includingleucism.[citation needed]

Distribution and habitat

Thespecieswas once widespread in East Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its foresthabitathave reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian populations aremigratory, overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan.[4]

Specimens frequently escape from collections, and in the 20th century, a large, feral population was established inGreat Britain; more recently, small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks ofDublin. Now, about 7,000 are in Britain with other populations on the European continent, the largest of which is in the region ofBerlin.[5]Isolated populations exist in the United States. The town ofBlack Mountain, North Carolina, has a limited population,[6][dead link]and a free-flying feral population of several hundred mandarins exist inSonoma County, California.[citation needed]This population is the result of several ducks escaping from captivity, then reproducing in the wild.[3]In 2018, a single bird was seen inNew York City'sCentral Park.[7]

The habitats it prefers in its breeding range are the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. It mostly occurs in low-lying areas, but it may breed in valleys at altitudes of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). In winter, it additionally occurs in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While it prefers fresh water, it may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In its introduced European range, it lives in more open habitat than in its native range, around the edges lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby.[4]

In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in trees close to water and during the spring, the females lay their eggs in the tree's cavity after mating. A single clutch of nine to twelve eggs is laid in April or May. Although the male may defend the brooding female and his eggs during incubation, he himself does not incubate the eggs and leaves before they hatch. Shortly after the ducklings hatch, their mother flies to the ground and coaxes the ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of the ducklings are out of the tree, they will follow their mother to a nearby body of water.[4]

Mandarins feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat plants andseeds, especiallybeechmast. The species will also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet.[8]The diet of mandarin ducks changes seasonally; in the fall and winter, they mostly eat acorns and grains. In the spring, they mostly eat insects, snails, fish and aquatic plants. In the summer, they eat dew worms, small fish, frogs, mollusks, and small snakes.[9]They feed mainly near dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on the ground during the day.[4]

Threats

Predation of the mandarin duck varies between different parts of its range.Mink,raccoon dogs,otters, polecats,Eurasian eagle owls, andgrass snakesare all predators of the mandarin duck.[9]The greatest threat to the mandarin duck is habitat loss due to loggers. Hunters are also a threat to the mandarin duck, because often they are unable to recognize the mandarin in flight and as a result, many are shot by accident. Mandarin ducks are not hunted for food, but are still poached because their extreme beauty is prized.

Re: NEW TOPIC: "FOR THE BIRDS"!

This is a King Vulture. King Vulture is a new world vulture found in Central and South America. This large bird of prey has bald head and gray to black ruff and is the largest of the new world vultures.

Physical Description

The king vulture has short, broad wings. From the neck down, it is white with a black band running along the rear edge of the wings. A small collar of feathers at the base of the neck is blackish-gray, while the bare skin on the head and neck is orange, green, yellow and purplish blue.

The crown is covered with small, bristle-like feathers, and the bird has a fleshy wattle directly above the nostrils. King vultures do not tolerate cold conditions well. Males and females look very similar to each other.

Size

King vultures grow to about 2.5 feet (0.8 meters) tall and can weigh up to 8 pounds (3.7 kilograms), making them the largest New World vulture, except for condors.

King vultures eat carrion. They have a thick, strong beak which is well adapted for tearing, and long, thick claws for holding the meat. They have keen eyesight and good sense of smell, which they use to find their food.

When a king vulture lands, other birds make way for it. Though it appears to dominate over a feeding site, this vulture actually relies on other stronger-beaked carrion-eaters to initially rip open the hide of a carcass. Often the first at a carcass site, the king vulture will eat the eyes of the animal while waiting for the other vultures. Eyes are both highly nutritious and easy to reach before the animal's hide is opened.

Reproduction and Development

King vultures nest on the ground in tree stumps, hollow logs or other natural cavities. Their nest consists of very little material; usually just scratched out of the existing soil. The king vulture usually lays a solitary egg. Both parents share the responsibilities of incubation.

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The kakapo, also called owl parrot, is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot of the super-family Strigopoidea, endemic to New Zealand. It has finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disc, a large grey beak, short legs, large feet, and relatively short wings and tail. It can live up to 95 years. A typical adult male weighs in anywhere between 4.4 to 8.8 pounds. Though the Kakapo cannot fly, it is an excellent climber, ascending to the crowns of the tallest trees.

Re: NEW TOPIC: "FOR THE BIRDS"!

The Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae), also known as the Lady Gouldian finch, Gould's finch or the rainbow finch, is a colourful passerine bird endemic to Australia. There is strong evidence of a continuing decline, even at the best-known site near Katherine in the Northern Territory.

Large numbers are bred in captivity, particularly in Australia. In the state of South Australia, National Parks & Wildlife Department permit returns in the late 1990s showed that over 13,000 Gouldian finches were being kept by aviculturists. If extrapolated to an Australia-wide figure this would result in a total of over 100,000 birds. In 1992, it was classified as "endangered in the wild" under IUCN's criteria C2ai. This was because the viable population size was estimated to be less than 2,500 mature individuals, no permanent subpopulation was known to contain more than 250 mature individuals, and that a continuing decline was observed in the number of mature individuals. It is currently subject to a conservation program.

Common Names:Lady Gouldian, Rainbow finch, name sometimes shortened to Gould.

DescriptionMale: The breast and belly colors are usually used to determine sex. Males will have a brighter and darker color of purple on the chest and the yellow of the belly will be darker and more intense than the female. The green back color and the light blue around the face mask is also darker. Often the face mask in males are larger and clearer than the females, but is not always the case as their are some strains of birds that have equal color in both sex's face mask. The males will also sing a nearly inaudible song while stretching and hopping on the perch. They will usually begin this song long before they have completed their molt into adult colors.

Female: The female has more subdued colors on her chest, belly and back. The female's beak will turn from a pearly white to black when she is in breeding condition.

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NO DOUBT THE ONE HUMMINGBIRD I SAW UPON MOVING INTO MY HOUSE IN 2009 WAS ATTRACTED BY THE GIANT TRUMPET VINE ON THE ( PULLING IT DOWN IN SPOTS, OF COURSE, BUT OH WELL. I'LL GLADLY SACRIFICE A BIT OF FENCE TO ACCOMMODATE THE BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES,& BEES!) FENCE. WHEN IT DIES OFF IN THE WINTER- IT LEAVES A GIANT DRIED "MEGANEST"- 3 OR 4 FEET IN DIAMETER. THE FENCE REPAIR PEOPLE THINK I'M NUTS SINCE I WON'T LET THEM PULL IT( HABITAT) DOWN.

SUPERGIRL, NO REALLY I MEAN IT! HER REAL NAME & MINE ARE THE SAME( FIRST 2 NAMES ARE)

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Yellow-collared lovebirds, with their African origin, are one of the famous of the entire lovebird family. They are immensely fond of each other’s company, being content with its mate.

Yellow-collared Lovebirds (Agapornis personatus) are small, stocky African parrots that are native to the inland plateaus of northern and central Tanzania in light brushwood and trees. These lovebirds are social creatures that form small nesting colonies in the wild.

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ISN'T COSTA TRICA, THE PREMIER NESTING GROUND IN THIS HEMISPHERE? LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL CRITTERS THERE- OF ALL SORTS. LOVED THE BIRDS, LIZARDS, MONKEYS, TURTLES, BUT MOST FASCINATING ANIMAL WAS A SLOTH! & THEY DO INDEED MOVE VER-RY SLOWLY!

SUPERGIRL, NO REALLY I MEAN IT! HER REAL NAME & MINE ARE THE SAME( FIRST 2 NAMES ARE)